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A  KEY  TO  THE  NAVAHO  ORTHOGRAPHY  EMPLOYED  BY 
THE  FRANCISCAN  FATHERS 


THE  NUMERALS  "Two"  AND   "THREE"  IN  CERTAIN 
INDIAN  LANGUAGES  OF  THE  SOUTHWEST 


BY 

JOHN   P.  HARRINGTON 


1911 


TKE  EM'CFOFT   UEFA-FY 


[Reprinted  from  the  AMERICAN  ANTHROPOLOGIST,  Vol.  13,  No.  i,  Jan.-Mar.,  1911.] 


A  Key  to  the  Navaho  Orthography  Employed  by  the  Franciscan  Fathers. 

— In  glancing  through  Dr  Goddard's  recent  review1  of  the  accurate  and 
important  Ethnologic  Dictionary  of  the  Navaho  Language  published  last 
year  by  the  Franciscan  Fathers  of  St  Michaels,  Arizona,2 1  was  disappointed 
in  not  finding  a  key  of  some  sort  which  would  give  the  equivalents  of  the 
peculiar  letter-values  adopted  by  the  Fathers  in  more  standard  phonetic 
symbolism,  that  is,  in  a  symbolism  which  has  been  adopted  by  great  European 
phoneticians.  The  Fathers  have  nowhere  in  the  Dictionary  tabulated  or 
systematized  the  Navaho  sounds,  nor  have  they  described  their  manner  of 
production  in  scientific  language.  Linguists  and  ethnologists  are  every 
where  feeling  the  need  of  a  standardizing  key  to  the  Fathers'  orthog 
raphy. 

Although  a  mere  beginner  in  the  study  of  Navaho,  I  have  been  so  bold 
as  to  work  out  the  accompanying  table  of  equivalents  in  the  hope  that  until 
it  is  superseded  by  a  similar  key  such  as  our  authority  on  Athapascan  phon 
etics,  Dr  Goddard,  could  prepare,  it  will  be  of  service  to  students.  I  would 
suggest  that  those  interested  cut  it  out  and  paste  it  in  their  copies  of  the 
Ethnologic  Dictionary,  and  that  the  Fathers  examine  it  and  accept  such 
letter-values  as  they  deem  good,  for  use  in  their  future  publications,  thereby 
making  the  orthography  of  the  Navaho  language  more  nearly  correspond 
to  that  in  which  the  other  languages  of  the  Southwest  are  being  recorded. 
I  am  merely  trying  to  assist  students  and  to  aid  the  Fathers  in  their  praise 
worthy  work. 

One  will  find,  given  below,  all  of  the  symbols  employed  by  the  Fathers. 
Each  of  these  symbols  is  followed  by  an  English  or  German  word  which 
contains  a  similar  sound  or  by  some  other  explanation  as  given  by  the 
Fathers,  in  parenthesis;  and  each  is  also  accompanied  by  an  equivalent 
symbol  suggested  by  me,  in  brackets. 

i.    ORINASAL  VOWELS 

£  (bat,  very  short,  but  orinasal)  [#];  e  (debt,  very  short,  but  orinasal) 
[$];  i  (pm,  very  short,  but  orinasal)  [J];  a  (art,  very  short,  but  orinasal) 
[$];  6  (d6ne,  very  short,  but  orinasal)  [p];  #  (pull,  very  short,  but  orinasal) 
[j*];  35  (bad,  long,  but  orinasal)  [*'];  e  (date,  long,  but  orinasal)  [e'];  i  (pique, 

1  Pliny  Earle  Goddard,  American  Anthropologist,  Vol.  12,  No.  2,  April-June,  1910, 
pp.  3II-3I5- 

2  The   Franciscan   Fathers,   An   Ethnologic  Dictionary   of  the   Navaho  Language, 
St.  Michaels,  Arizona,  1910. 


165  AMERICAN  ANTHROPOLOGIST  [x.  s.,  13,  1911 

long,  but  orinasal)  [*"];  a  (far,  long,  but  orinasal)  [g,']\  o  (note,  long,  but 
orinasal)  [0*];  u  pool,  long,  but  orinasal)  \tt']. 

2.    ORAL  VOWELS 

£  (bat,  very  short)  [£];  e  (debt,  very  short)  [e\]  I  (pin,  very  short)  [*]; 
a  (art,  very  short)  [#];  o  (done,  very  short)  [0];  u  (pull,  very  short)  [M];  <rt 
(bat,  medium  long?)  [a];  e  (debt,  medium  long?)  [e}\  i  (pin,  medium  long?) 
[/];  a  (art,  medium  long?)  [a];  o  (done,  medium  long?)  [0];  u  (pull,  medium 
long?)  [«];  £  (bad,  long)  [a*];  e  (date,  long)  [e'];i  (pique,  long)  [i'];  a  (far, 
long)  [o'];  0  (note,  long)  [0'];  u  (pool,  long)  [w*]. 

3.    CONSONANTAL  VOWELS 
y  (yield)  [j];  iv  (will)  [w]. 

4.    LARYNX  CONSONANTS 

h  (hemp)  [&];  '  ("a  fairly  gutteral  exhalation  which  at  times  is  equivalent 
to  h,and  even  q.  Frequently  this  sound  has  been  rendered  with  h")  [h  or 
h]\  '  ("abrupt  close  of  the  vowel,"  i.  e.,  complete  glottal  stop)  ['];  '  ("hiatus 
preceding  a  vowel,"  i.  e.,  light  glottal  stop)  [']. 

5.     BACK  OF  TONGUE  CONSONANTS 

I  (gig)  Id;  V  (clicked  k)  [k']-r  k,  or  kh,  or  kq  (ken)  [kh  or  kh}\  gh  ("a 
gutteral  g  to  which  the  rolling  sound  of  r  is  added,"  i.  e.,  open  g)  [q  or  R]\ 
q  (German  lachen)  [x]. 

6.  FRONT  OF  TONGUE  CONSONANTS 

d  (den)  [d}\  €  (clicked  t)  [/'];  tq  [/A  or  th]\  z  (zone)  [z\;  s  (sit)  [s}\  zh 
(azure)  [z};  sh  (shall)  [v];  /  (like)  [/];  t  ("strongly  aspirated  1,"  i.  e.,  voice 
less  1)  [/];  dz  (adze)  [dz\\  ts'  (clicked  ts)  [te'j;  ts,  or  tsq,  or  ds  (pretzel)  [tsH, 
or  tsh]-J  (judge)  [dz];  ch'  (clicked  ch)  [/.?'];  ch,  or  chq  (church)  [ts\  or  tsh]\ 
dl  [dl]-  &  [tf];  //[«*, or  tth]',  n  (man)  [n]. 

7.  FRONT  OF  TONGUE  SOUNDS 

b  (been)  [0];  m  (man)  [m]. 

As  additional  sounds  recorded  by  the  Fathers  we  ought  to  mention  n 
("indicates  an  accented  n,"  i.  e.,  a  syllabic  n)  [n,  or  n'}\  'n  ("sound  of  dn,  as 
in  dnieper,"  i.  e.,  n  preceded  either  by  glottal  stop  or  opening  of  nose  passage 
by  lowering  velum)  [n.  or  'n,  or  ln\\  kw  (quick)  [kw]\  wh  (ghw)  [qw\;  qn 
(when)  [xw]. 

It  appears  from  the  text  of  the  Dictionary  that  the  Fathers  distingiush 
three  lengths  of  oral  vowels  but  only  two  lengths  of  orinasal  vowels,  although 
a  definite  statement  to  this  effect  is  nowhere  to  be  found. 


ANTHROPOLOGIC  MISCELLANEA  1 66 

The  writer  cannot  agree  with  Dr  Goddard  when  he  says  in  the  recent 
review1  that  the  Fathers'  "treatment  of  nasalized  vowels  seems  happy." 
The  use  of  circumflexes  and  tildes  over  vowel  characters  to  indicate  different 
combinations  of  length  and  nasalization  seems  to  me  very  unhappy,  illogical, 
and  confusing.  They  indicate  only  two  lengths.  How  would  they  have 
indicated  three  lengths?  By  using  circumflexes,  tildes,  and  some  other 
diacritical  marks?  Would  they  use  as  many  varieties  of  mark  as  they  dis 
tinguish  lengths?  And  if  they  abandon  this  principle,  placing,  say,  the 
tilde  over  every  nasalized  vowel,  and  yet  retain  their  system  of  indicating 
length  and  stress  of  unnasalized  vowels,  and  apply  that  system  to  the  nasalized 
vowels  also,  some  of  their  vowel  characters  will  have  three  diacritical s 
piled  up  above  them.  And  as  it  is,  the  combinations  of  vowel  character 
plus  tilde  plus  acute  accent  are  with  such  difficulty  distinguishable  from  the 
combinations  of  vowel  character  plus  macron  plus  acute  accent  that  the 
eyes  are  continually  strained.  Professor  Brugmann  and  other  foremost 
linguists  settled  the  question  as  to  writing  nasalization  several  years  ago, 
adopting  the  Polish  method  of  placing  a  hook  open  to  the  right  under  a 
letter.  Examine  the  usage  in  the  standard  Grundris  der  vergleichenden 
Grammatik  der  indogermanischen  Sprachen  by  Brugmann  and  Delbriick. 
An  exposition  of  the  reasons  why  the  subscript  hook  is  the  best  method  of 
writing  nasalization  would  cover  several  pages,  and  would  here  be  out  of 
place.  May  I  add  only  that  the  use  of  superior  n  (u)  after  a  vowel  has 
little  or  nothing  to  recommend  it;  it  is  illogical,  sprawls  the  word  in  an 
ungainly  fashion,  and  pure  nasalization  of  vowels  such  as  we  have  in  many- 
Indian  languages  has  nothing  more  to  do  with  n  than  with  m  or  "ng". 

I  differ  from  Dr  Goddard  in  the  opinion  that  "probably  a  strict  alpha 
betical  arrangement  would  have  been  more  available."  This  is  a  book  to 
read,  page  after  page.  In  logical  sequence  it  introduces  us  to  the  whole 
Xavaho  universe.  The  book  is  provided  with  an  excellent  and  complete 
alphabetically  arranged  English  index.  An  index  of  Navaho  words  might 
well  be  added.  Should  the  Navaho  words  in  such  an  index  be  arranged  in 
the  Roman  alphabetical  order,  or  in  an  order  more  scientific  and  yet  very 
readily  learned? 

JOHN  P.  HARRINGTON. 

The  Numerals  "Two"  and  "Three"  in  Certain  Indian  Languages  of  the 
Southwest. — 

LANGUAGE  RECORDER  "Two"  "THREE" 

Tepehuan  Charencey  gaok  baech 

Tarahumare  Charencev  oka  baica 


Goddard,  loc.  cit.,  p.  314. 


167 


AMERICAN  ANTHROPOLOGIST 


[N.  s.,  13,  1911 


Cora 

Conant 

huapoa 

huaeica 

Cahita 

Pimentel 

uoi 

vahi 

Opata 

Pimentel 

gode 

vaide 

Pima 

Charencey 

houak 

vaik 

Seri 

McGee 

gha'kum 

phaum 

Cochimi 

Gabb 

kuak 

kabiak 

Kiliwi 

Gabb 

hhu-ak 

hhamiak 

Cocopa 

Harrington 

Ha-wdV 

Ha-m6Ka 

Diegueno 

Harrington 

Ha-wo'Kn 

Ha-m6KH 

Maricopa 

Harrington 

Ha-viK" 

Ha-moK11 

Yuma 

Harrington 

Ha-viK" 

Ha-m6K" 

Mohave 

Harrington 

Ha-viK" 

Ha-moKn 

Yavapai 

Freire-Marreco 

uaK11 

muK:l 

Ton  to 

Loew  and  White 

uake 

moke 

Walapai 

Harrington 

Ha-waK" 

Ha-m6K!l 

Havasupai 

Harrington 

Ha-wo'K11 

Ha-m6K!l 

Ute 

Harrington 

waijuini 

paijuini 

Paiute 

Gatschet 

vay 

pay 

Chemehuevi 

Harrington 

wai 

pai 

Pavant 

Gatschet 

wyune 

piune 

Shoshone 

Gatschet 

waii 

pahi 

Comanche 

Charencey 

waha 

pahu 

Hopi 

Harrington 

lejo'° 

pajo'° 

Kern  River 

McGee 

wo 

pai 

San  Luis  Key 

Gatschet 

whii 

paa 

Kauvuya 

Gatschet 

vuy 

pa 

Gaitchaim 

Gatschet 

vue 

pahe 

Cahuilla 

Conant 

mewi 

mepai 

Taos 

Harrington 

wiina 

pajuS 

Isleta 

Harrington 

wisi 

pat  so 

Isleta  del  Sur 

Harrington 

wisi 

pat  so 

Piro 

Bartlett 

wi-yti 

mon-tu 

Jemez 

Harrington 

wis 

ta1 

Tewa 

Harrington 

wije 

poje 

Kiowa 


Mooney 


yi'a 


pao 
JOHN  P.  HARRINGTON. 


1  Is  the  Jemez  numeral  for  three  borrowed  from  the  Navaho  language? 


